The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.orgwith "Membership" in the subject line.)
Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.
EXCLUSIVE: Egyptian ISIS Fighter Featured In Video Says He Left U.S For Caliphate
On June 16, 2017, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Ninawa, Iraq released a new video featuring a number of Iraqi and other Arab fighters who had carried out "martyrdom" operations, including one from Yemen and another from Egypt. The video, titled "One of the Two Best Things [Victory or Martyrdom]" and posted on multiple pro-ISIS Telegram channels and Twitter accounts, featured drone-filmed footage of these operations. The Egyptian fighter, identified as Abu Al-Ma'ali Al-Masri, claimed that he had left the U.S. in response to ISIS's call for Muslims to move to the Caliphate. Footage of his "martyrdom" operation targeting Iraqi military tanks was included in the video. The video provided no further information about Al-Masri's life in the U.S. before moving to the Caliphate.
EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media Account Review – (JSM-AR): American ISIS Supporter Active On Twitter
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Platform: Twitter
Type of account: ISIS supporter
Additional information: The Twitter byline reads: "American Muslim Revert—I support the TRUE Muwahhidien – Former Nationalist."
An Italian national, who lived in Britain for a time, shared on Facebook that he is currently serving a life sentence at the Kirikiri maximum security prison in Lagos, Nigeria. He says on his Facebook page that he is not a Nigerian citizen, that his father was Italian and that he is an Italian citizen, but does not explain why he is imprisoned in Nigeria; indeed, he says he does not understand this at all, even though he refers to himself as having been "repatriated."
The second issue of the pro-Al-Qaeda English-language magazine Al-Haqiqa was released on June 21, 2017. The issue was distributed on numerous pro-Al-Qaeda channels on Telegram. The first issue of the magazine was released February 27, 2017.
In the past day, several pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram groups have circulated a link to a private channel called "Travelling to Europe." Although not explicitly indicating it, the owners of the channel appear to facilitate the travel of ISIS supporters and members in Europe.
EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Al-Raqqa Recruitment Video Features Teens Urging Muslims To Join Jihad
A 37-minute video titled "Purifying the Soul," released by the media bureau of ISIS in Al-Raqqa, urges Muslims everywhere to heed the call of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and come to the battlefronts of jihad. The speakers in the video, among them teenage boys as well as elderly men, praise martyrdom and relate how they decided to leave for the battlefront and even obtained the blessing of their families. Some of them weep as they describe the intensity of their desire to wage jihad.
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On June 18, 2017, the information office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Furat province in Iraq posted a 16-minute video titled "Allah Will Be Sufficient For You Against Them" (the name is taken from Quran, Chapter Al-Baqarah, Verse 137). The video, which was distributed, inter alia, via the Nasher News Agency Telegram account, reviews at length what it calls the failed attempts of the coalition, led by the Americans and the British, to defeat the Islamic State in the Syrian desert region, where the borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan meet, and emphasizes the strategic border crossing at Al-Tanaf.
Jihadi Social Media Account Review – (JSM-AR): Australian Man Supports ISIS On Facebook
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Platform: Facebook
Type of account: ISIS supporter
Sharing of jihadi content: He has shared official ISIS content, and has eulogized ISIS fighters.
Turkish ISIS Fighter On Instagram Soliciting Donations Of Computers, Cameras, Funds For ISIS Fighters, Selling Cars From The Islamic State
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An Instagram account called dabiqnews1 is run by an individual, who says he a fighter in the Islamic State; his name indicates that he is Turkish. He posts in Turkish, English, and Dutch. In one post, Al Turki distributed advice on how ISIS supporters living in the West can raise money to donate to Syria.
French-Language ISIS Media Operations Adapt To Shutdown Attempts
In recent weeks, French ISIS media operatives have adapted to the increased efforts to shut down their accounts on Telegram and other social media by creating a large number of new, identical accounts under different names and calling upon supporters to participate in the "media war." It appears that ISIS media have adopted the strategy of flooding social media with new accounts while at the same time seeking new stable platforms for distributing the large number of links to these new accounts.
Uptick In German-Language Pro-ISIS Channels On Telegram
Recently, numerous German-language pro-ISIS channels have become active on Telegram. Some of the channels were created in June 2017, and others were created during the preceding months but only became active in June.
ISIS Media Outlet Releases Tutorial On Encrypting Hard Disk Drives
On June 13, 2017, the French-language ISIS media outlet An-Nur Media Center published a document and a three-minute video tutorial explaining how to encrypt data on a hard drive on Android, Mac and Windows.
Iran-Based Group Confirms Death Of Its Leader In Clashes With Iranian Regime Forces
On June 20, 2017, the Iran-based Sunni jihadi group Jamaa't Ansar Al-Furqan confirmed the death of its emir, Mawlvi Jaleel Qambarzai aka Ustaz Salahuddin, in clashes with forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and promised to keep fighting Iran's Shi'ite regime. The announcement was published on the group's official Telegram account and shared among Al-Qaeda supporters across Telegram and other social media.
ISIS Supporters On Telegram Exchange Information On Accounts Suspected Of Spreading Malware
On June 13, 2017, ISIS supporter on Telegram warned that "a Russian Kuffar spy" on Telegram was spreading a "dangerous application called 'Khilafat Forum."
Iran-Based Group Confirms Death Of Its Leader In Clashes With Iranian Regime Forces
On June 20, 2017, the Iran-based Sunni jihadi group Jamaa't Ansar Al-Furqan confirmed the death of its emir, Mawlvi Jaleel Qambarzai aka Ustaz Salahuddin, in clashes with forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and promised to keep fighting Iran's Shi'ite regime. The announcement was published on the group's official Telegram account and shared among Al-Qaeda supporters across Telegram and other social media.
Poster By Campaign On Telegram For Funding Jihad In Gaza Shows Allocation Of Funds Received
On June 21, 2017, the Jahezona ("Equip Us") campaign, an ongoing fundraising campaign to support the mujahideen and jihad in Gaza, shared a poster on its Telegram channel showing the allocation of donations received so far.
On June 19, 2017, the Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (The Group for Supporting Islam and Muslims, GSIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in the African Sahel, released a statement on its Telegram channel claiming responsibility for the deadly attack on the Campement Kangaba resort near Bamako, Mali, the day before. Several people were killed in the attack, including two EU staff members.
On June 21, 2017, the Taliban released, on its Telegram channel, a video filmed June 16 featuring two hostages, Australian national Timothy John Weekes and U.S. national Kevin King. The two, both professors at the American University in Kabul, were kidnapped in August 2016. The video is approximately 10 minutes long and features both hostages begging their respective families and governments to negotiate and to exchange Taliban prisoners for them. The previous video of them was released January 11, 2017.
Taliban Releases Statement Stressing Group's Policy Of Sparing Civilian Lives
On June 18, 2017, the Taliban released a statement titled "Important Points in IEA Deputy Amir's Audio Message." The statement, by Deputy Amir Sirajuddin Haqqani, focused on his recent comments which highlight the Taliban's policy of avoiding civilian casualties. Haqqani claims that there were multiple opportunities in the past to target high-ranking officials, but that these plans had been jettisoned in order to spare the lives of civilians. Haqqani also blamed the Afghani government for trying to create religious, ethnic, linguistic, and geographic divides in order to break the unity of the Afghan people.
Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Releases New Video Threatening Jihad Against China
On June 15, 2017, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released a four-minute video in Arabic on its Telegram channel "Voice of Islam." The video describes the situation of the Muslims in East Turkestan during Ramadan and says that the eyes of TIP fighters in Syria are set on East Turkestan, which will be freed only by way of preparation and jihad.
